Two Atypical Cases of Mad Cow Disease Detected in Brazil

Sep 06, 2021

Two atypical cases of mad cow disease have been detected in Brazil, resulting in suspension of its exports of beef to China, the Agriculture Ministry said Saturday.

That temporary step was taken under an existing bilateral protocol between the two countries although the ministry stressed that there was "no risk to human or animal health."

The two cases were "atypical" since the disease appeared "spontaneously and sporadically, unrelated to the ingestion of contaminated food," a ministry statement said.

The two bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases were identified during health inspections in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso states in aged cattle, it added.

"Brazil has never recorded a classic case of BSE," said the ministry, which officially notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

In June 2019 Brazil also temporarily suspended its exports of cattle to China after an atypical case of BSE was detected in Mato Grosso in a 17-year-old cow.

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